Contribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria to nitrification under different biogeochemical factors in acidic soils

Nitrification in soils is an essential process that involves archaeal and bacterial ammonia-oxidizers. Despite its importance, the relative contributions of soil factors to the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) and their nitrification performances are seldom discussed. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of AOA and AOB abundance and different environmental conditions (pH, TC, TN, moisture, and temperature) on nitrification performance. The soils of the long-term fertilized tea orchards and forests were sampled in the field, and nitrification experiments were conducted in the laboratory. The acid soils were collected from the field and used in laboratory incubation experiments to calculate the nitrification rate, including the net nitrification rate (NN rate), nitrification potential (NP), and nitrification kinetics. The basic parameters, different forms of nitrogen content, and AOA and AOB amoA gene copies were also analyzed. Compared with the forest soil, the tea orchard soil had a lower pH and higher nitrogen content (p < 0.05). The AOA and AOB abundance in the soils of the forests and tea orchards were pH-dependent. The NN rate and NP had good relationships with AOA or AOB in the forest soil; however, poor relationships were observed in the tea orchard soil. When pH < 4, the performances of AOA and AOB were restricted by pH and the environment, especially in long-term fertilized farmlands. Long-term fertilization can cause soil acidification, which regulates the abundance of AOA and AOB and their nitrifying ability. The soil environment rather than AOA or AOB could control nitrification in long-term fertilized farmlands with a pH below 4. These findings could improve fertilization efficiency and control nutrient runoff in hilly agricultural ecosystems.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effects of AOA and AOB abundance and different environmental conditions on nitrification performance, finding that tea orchard soil had lower pH and higher nitrogen content compared to forest soil, with AOA and AOB abundance being pH-dependent in both soils. The study also observed that AOA and AOB performance was restricted by pH and the environment when pH < 4, especially in long-term fertilized farmlands.